Occupation authorities say Crimeans should not expect fuel any time soon

The Russian occupation authorities in Crimea have said that large fuel deliveries are not expected in the near future and urged residents of the occupied peninsula to "be patient".

Source: Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of occupied Crimea, on Telegram

Details: Aksyonov also claimed that public transport will continue operating according to schedule and that "there should be no changes".

"Public transport, like other municipal services, is fully supplied with fuel," he wrote on Telegram.

Earlier, however, transport operators in Sevastopol, temporarily occupied Crimea, said they were receiving only a quarter of the fuel they actually needed, forcing them to suspend some bus routes.

"I see the daily reports from residents saying that trolleybuses or buses have not gone out on their routes, and I respond to every one of them," Aksyonov wrote.

He promised to resolve the issue "manually".

The Russian-installed official also said that many Crimean residents had complained about what they described as the "unfair distribution of electricity" across the occupied peninsula.

"Factors related to countering the enemy and the technical condition of certain substations have played a role. Technical solutions to this issue will be found in the near future," he said.

On the night of 28-29 June, large-scale power outages occurred in the Russian-occupied parts of Kherson Oblast, Crimea and Donetsk following a drone attack.

Aksyonov said the operational headquarters would "develop measures every day to ensure the fair distribution of electricity".

Background:

• Since the end of May, more than 30 Russian regions have introduced restrictions on fuel sales, according to Kommersant. The strictest measures are in place in Crimea and Sevastopol, where retail petrol sales were suspended on 21 June and filling stations were switched entirely to supplying emergency and state services.
• Russian leader Vladimir Putin has claimed that damage caused by Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries is "not critical", while also calling for increased production of air defence systems to protect such facilities.
• Russia has also been experiencing disruptions in the road freight sector, leading to fuel supply problems affecting both domestic hauliers and companies transporting goods abroad.
• Petrol stations have also begun closing en masse in temporarily occupied Crimea, including those belonging to major fuel retail chains.

Subscribe on Patreon to back our journalism long-term.